the age of invention-第21部分

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e　cents　a　pound；　and　his　wife　contributed　her　rolling　pin。　That　was　the　beginning。

For　a　time　he　believed　that；　by　mixing　the　raw　gum　with　magnesia　and　boiling　it　in　lime；　he　had　overcome　the　stickiness　which　was　the　inherent　difficulty。　He　made　some　sheets　of　white　rubber　which　were　exhibited；　and　also　some　articles　for　sale。　His　hopes　were　dashed　when　he　found　that　weak　acid；　such　as　apple　juice　or　vinegar；　destroyed　his　new　product。　Then　in　1836　he　found　that　the　application　of　aqua　fortis；　or　nitric　acid；　produced　a　〃curing〃　effect　on　the　rubber　and　thought　that　he　had　discovered　the　secret。　Finding　a　partner　with　capital；　he　leased　an　abandoned　rubber　factory　on　Staten　Island。　But　his　partner's　fortune　was　swept　away　in　the　panic　of　1837；　leaving　Goodyear　again　an　insolvent　debtor。　Later　he　found　another　partner　and　went　to　manufacturing　in　the　deserted　plant　at　Roxbury；　with　an　order　from　the　Government　for　a　large　number　of　mail　bags。　This　order　was　given　wide　publicity　and　it　aroused　the　interest　of　manufacturers　throughout　the　country。　But　by　the　time　the　goods　were　ready　for　delivery　the　first　bags　made　had　rotted　from　their　handles。　Only　the　surface　of　the　rubber　had　been　〃cured。〃

This　failure　was　the　last　straw；　as　far　as　Goodyear's　friends　were　concerned。　Only　his　patient　and　devoted　wife　stood　by　him；　she　had　labored；　known　want；　seen　her　children　go　hungry　to　school；　but　she　seems　never　to　have　reproached　her　husband　nor　to　have　doubted　his　ultimate　success。　The　gentleness　and　tenderness　of　his　deportment　in　the　home　made　his　family　cling　to　him　with　deep　affection　and　bear　willingly　any　sacrifice　for　his　sake；　though　his　successive　failures　generally　meant　a　return　of　the　inventor　to　the　debtor's　prison　and　the　casting　of　his　family　upon　charity。

The　nitric　acid　process　had　not　solved　the　problem　but　it　had　been　a　real　step　forward。　It　was　in　the　year　1839；　by　an　accident；　that　he　discovered　the　true　process　of　vulcanization　which　cured　not　the　surface　alone　but　the　whole　mass。　He　was　trying　to　harden　the　gum　by　boiling　it　with　sulphur　on　his　wife's　cookstove　when　he　let　fall　a　lump　of　it　on　the　red　hot　iron　top。　It　vulcanized　instantly。　This　was　an　accident　which　only　Goodyear　could　have　interpreted。　And　it　was　the　last。　The　strange　substance　from　the　jungles　of　the　tropics　had　been　mastered。　It　remained；　however；　to　perfect　the　process；　to　ascertain　the　accurate　formula　and　the　exact　degree　of　heat。　The　Goodyears　were　so　poor　during　these　years　that　they　received　at　any　time　a　barrel　of　flour　from　a　neighbor　thankfully。　There　is　a　tradition　that　on　one　occasion；　when　Goodyear　desired　to　cross　between　Staten　Island　and　New　York；　he　had　to　give　his　umbrella　to　the　ferry　master　as　security　for　his　fare；　and　that　the　name　of　the　ferry　master　was　Cornelius　Vanderbilt；　〃a　man　who　made　much　money　because　he　took　few　chances。〃　The　incident　may　easily　have　occurred；　though　the　ferry　master　could　hardly　have　been　Vanderbilt　himself；　unless　it　had　been　at　an　earlier　date。　Another　tradition　says　that　one　of　Goodyear's　neighbors　described　him　to　an　inquisitive　stranger　thus：　〃You　will　know　him　when　you　see　him；　he　has　on　an　India　rubber　cap；　stock；　coat；　vest；　and　shoes；　and　an　India　rubber　purse　WITHOUT　A　CENT　IN　IT！〃

Goodyear's　trials　were　only　beginning。　He　had　the　secret　at　last；　but　nobody　would　believe　him。　He　had　worn　out　even　the　most　sanguine　of　his　friends。　〃That　such　indifference　to　this　discovery；　and　many　incidents　attending　it；　could　have　existed　in　an　intelligent　and　benevolent　community；〃　wrote　Goodyear　later；　〃can　only　be　accounted　for　by　existing　circumstances　in　that　community　The　great　losses　that　had　been　sustained　in　the　manufacture　of　gum…elastic：　the　length　of　time　the　inventor　had　spent　in　what　appeared　to　them　to　be　entirely　fruitless　efforts　to　accomplish　anything　with　it；　added　to　his　recent　misfortunes　and　disappointments；　all　conspired；　with　his　utter　destitution；　to　produce　a　state　of　things　as　unfavorable　to　the　promulgation　of　the　discovery　as　can　well　be　imagined。　He；　however；　felt　in　duty　bound　to　beg　in　earnest；　if　need　be；　sooner　than　that　the　discovery　should　be　lost　to　the　world　and　to　himself。　。　。　。　How　he　subsisted　at　this　period　charity　alone　can　tell；　for　it　is　as　well　to　call　things　by　their　right　names；　and　it　is　little　else　than　charity　when　the　lender　looks　upon　what　he　parts　with　as　a　gift。　The　pawning　or　selling　some　relic　of　better　days　or　some　article　of　necessity　was　a　frequent　expedient。　His　library　had　long　since　disappeared；　but　shortly　after　the　discovery　of　this　process；　he　collected　and　sold　at　auction　the　schoolbooks　of　his　children；　which　brought　him　the　trifling　sum　of　five　dollars；　small　as　the　amount　was；　it　enabled　him　to　proceed。　At　this　step　he　did　not　hesitate。　The　occasion；　and　the　certainty　of　success；　warranted　the　measure　which；　in　other　circumstances；　would　have　been　sacrilege。〃

His　itinerary　during　those　years　is　eloquent。　Wherever　there　was　a　man；　who　had　either　a　grain　of　faith　in　rubber　or　a　little　charity　for　a　frail　and　penniless　monomaniac；　thither　Goodyear　made　his　way。　The　goal　might　be　an　attic　room　or　shed　to　live　in　rent　free；　or　a　few　dollars　for　a　barrel　of　flour　for　the　family　and　a　barrel　of　rubber　for　himself；　or　permission　to　use　a　factory's　ovens　after　hours　and　to　hang　his　rubber　over　the　steam　valves　while　work　went　on。　From　Woburn　in　1839；　the　year　of　his　great　discovery；　he　went　to　Lynn；　from　Lynn　back　to　the　deserted　factory　at　Roxbury。　Again　to　Woburn；　to　Boston；　to　Northampton；　to　Springfield；　to　Naugatuck；　in　five　years　as　many　removes。　When　he　lacked　boat　or　railway　fare；　and　he　generally　did；　he　walked　through　winds　and　rains　and　drifting　snow；　begging　shelter　at　some　cottage　or　farm　where　a　window　lamp　gleamed　kindly。

Goodyear　took　out　his　patent　in　1844。　The　process　he　invented　has　been　changed　little；　if　at　all；　from　that　day　to　this。　He　also　invented　the　perfect　India　rubber　cloth　by　mixing　fiber　with　the　gum　a　discovery　he　considered　rightly　as　secondary　in　importance　only　to　vulcanization。　When　he　died　in　1860　he　had　taken　out　sixty　patents　on　rubber　manufactures。　He　had　seen　his　invention　applied　to　several　hundred　uses；　giving　employment　to　sixty　thousand　persons；　producing　annually　eight　million　dollars'　worth　of　merchandisenumbers　which　would　form　but　a　fraction　of　the　rubber　statistics　of　today。

Everybody；　the　whole　civilized　world　round；　uses　rubber　in　one　form　or　another。　And　rubber　makes　a　belt　around　the　world　in　its　natural　as　well　as　in　its　manufactured　form。　The　rubber…bearing　zone　winds　north　and　south　of　the　equator　through　both　hemispheres。　In　South　America　rubber　is　the　latex　of　certain　trees；　in　Africa　of　trees　and　vines。　The　best　〃wild〃　rubber　still　comes　from　Para　in　Brazil。　It　is　gathered　and　prepared　for　shipment　there　today　by　the　same　methods　the　natives　used　four　hundred　years　ago。　The　natives　in　their　canoes　follow　the　watercourses　into　the　jungles。　They　cut　V…shaped　or　spiral　incisions　in　the　trunks　of　the　trees　that　grow　sheer　to　sixty　feet　before　spreading　their　shade。　At　the　base　of　the　incisions　they　affix　small　clay　cups；　like　swallows'　nests。　Over　the　route　they　return　later　with　large　gourds　in　which　they　collect　the　fluid　from　the　clay　cups。　The　filled　gourds　they　carry　to　their　village　of　grass　huts　and　there　they　build　their　smoky　fires　of　oily　palm　nuts。　Dipping　paddles　into　the　fluid　gum　they　turn　and　harden　it；　a　coating　at　a　time；　in　the　smoke。　The　rubber　〃biscuit〃　is　cut　from　the　paddle　with　a　wet　knife　when　the　desired　thickness　has　been　attained。

Goodyear　lived　for　sixteen　years　after　his　discovery　of　the　vulcanization　process。　During　the　last　six　he　was　unable　to　walk　without　crutches。　He　was　indifferent　to　money。　To　make　his　discoveries　of　still　greater　service　to　mankind　was　his　whole　aim。　It　was　others　who　made　fortunes　out　of　his　inventions。　Goodyear　died　a　poor　man。

In　his　book；　a　copy　of　which　was　printed　on　gumelastic　sheets　and　bound　in　hard　rubber　carved；　he　summed　up　his　philosophy　in　this　statement：　〃The　writer　is　not　disposed　to　repine　and　say　that　he　has　planted　and　others　have　gathered　the　fruits。　The　advantages　of　a　career　in　life　should　not　be　estimated　exclusively　by　the　standard　of　dollars　and　cents；　as　it　is　too　often　done。　Man　has　just　cause　for　regret　when　he　sows　and　no　one　reaps。〃



CHAPTER　VIII。　PIONEERS　OF　THE　MACHINE　SHOP

There　is　a　tinge　of　melancholy　about　the　life　of　such　a　pioneer　as　Oliver　Evans；　that　early　American　mechanic　of　great　genius；　whose　story　is　briefly　outlined　in　a　preceding　chapter。　Here　was　a　man　of　imagination　and　sensibility；　as　well　as　practical　power；　conferring　great　benefits　on　his　countrymen；　yet　in　chronic　poverty；　derided　by　his　neighbors；　robbed　by　his　beneficiaries；　his　property；　the　fruit　of　his　brain　and　toil；　in　the　end　malevolently　destroyed。　The　lot　of　the　man　who　sees　far　ahead　of　his　time；　and　endeavors　to　lead　his　fellows　in　ways　for　which　they　are　not　prepared；　has　always　been　hard。

John　Stevens；　too；　as　we　have　seen；　met　defeat　when　he　tried　to　thrust　a　steam　railroad　on　a　country　that　was　not　yet　ready　for　it。　His　mechanical　conceptions　were　not　marked　by　genius　equal　to　that　of　Evans；　but　they　were　still　too　far　advanced　to　be　popular。　The　career　of　Stevens；　however；　presents　a　remarkable　contrast　to　that　of　Evans　in　other　respects。　Evans　was　born　poor　（in　Delaware；　1755）　and　remained　poor　all　his　life。　Stevens　was　born　rich　（in　New　York　City；　1749）　and　remained　rich　all　his　life。　Of　the　family　of　Evans　nothing　is　known　either　before　or　after　him。　Stevens；　on　the　contrary；　belonged　to　one　of　the　best　known　and　most　powerful　families　in　America。　His　grandfather；　John　Stevens　I；　came　from　England　in　1699　and　made　himself　a　lawyer　and　a　great　landowner。　His　father；　John　Stevens　II；　was　a　member　from　New　Jersey　of　the　Continental　Congress　and　presided　at　the　New　Jersey　Convention　which　ratified　the　Constitution。

John　Stevens　III　was　graduated　at　King's　College　（Columbia）　in　1768。　He　held　public　offices　during　the　Revolution。　To　him；　perhaps　more　than　to　any　other　man；　is　due　the　Patent　Act　of　1790；　for　the　protection　of　American　inventors；　for　that　law　was　the　result　of　a　petition　whic